A Pocket Manual
By David Short & David Searle
Christian Focus. 142 pages. £8.99
ISBN 1 84550 016 4
Being a working pastor myself I know from firsthand experience the difficulties associated with pastoral visitation. In a busy schedule it is not always easy to find time to visit and when we do have the time it is sometimes difficult to be sensitive and 'tune in' to the feelings of different situations with which the pastor is confronted in quick succession. At one house it is a bereavement, at another it is a celebration of an engagement.
This little hardback will prove invaluable to busy pastors. It has chapters on 20 kinds of regular pastoral visits - hospital admission, lack of assurance, encouraging carers, etc. Each chapter begins with perceptive comments as to how people in these situations might feel and what they might need by way of spiritual assistance. Then there is a selection of appropriate Scriptures to read. This is followed by a list of relevant prayer topics and a set prayer, if this is appropriate. There are also suggested verses from well-known hymns which may comfort or challenge the person being visited.
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